The Little Mermaid review: The Little Mermaid is a 2023 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall and written by David Magee. It is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1989 animated film of the same name, and stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian. In the film, Ariel makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula to become human and win the love of Prince Eric.
The Little Mermaid was released in the United States on May 26, 2023. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for Bailey’s performance and the musical numbers, but criticism for the CGI and the lack of originality. The film was a box office success, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide.
Here is a more detailed review of the film:
Positives:
Halle Bailey gives a standout performance as Ariel. She is charming, funny, and has a beautiful singing voice.
The musical numbers are all great, and the new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are a welcome addition.
The film is visually stunning, with beautiful underwater cinematography and impressive special effects.
Negatives:
The CGI is sometimes jarring, and the film can be a bit too long.
The story is very similar to the original animated film, and there is not much new to offer.
Overall, The Little Mermaid is a visually stunning and musically impressive film. However, the story is a bit too familiar, and the CGI can be jarring at times. Still, Halle Bailey’s performance is a standout, and the film is sure to please fans of the original animated film.
Recommended Audience:
The Little Mermaid is a family-friendly film that is appropriate for all ages. However, some of the special effects may be too intense for young children.
Overall Rating:
3.5 out of 5 stars
Here is some more information about the film:
- The Little Mermaid is the 13th live-action adaptation of a Disney animated film.
- The film was shot in Australia and the United Kingdom.
- The original songs from the animated film were written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The new songs for the live-action film were written by Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
- The film was directed by Rob Marshall, who also directed the 2014 film Into the Woods.
- The film stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.
- The film was released in the United States on May 26, 2023.
Here are some additional thoughts on the film:
Halle Bailey gives a great performance as Ariel. She is charming, funny, and has a beautiful singing voice. She really brings the character to life. The musical numbers are all great. The original songs from the animated film are still as good as ever, and the new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are a welcome addition.
The film is visually stunning. The underwater cinematography is beautiful, and the special effects are impressive. The story is very similar to the original animated film. There is not much new to offer, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The original story is still a classic, and it is told well in this film.
The CGI is sometimes jarring. There are a few scenes where the CGI looks fake, and it can be distracting. The film can be a bit too long. It is over two hours long, and it could have been trimmed down a bit.
Conclusion : –
Overall, The Little Mermaid is a visually stunning and musically impressive film. However, the story is a bit too familiar, and the CGI can be jarring at times. Still, Halle Bailey’s performance is a standout, and the film is sure to please fans of the original animated film.